Cylinder lockup for wrap-around plates and blankets



4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Mm TTO NEY H` J- LUEHRS CYLINDER LOOKUP FOR WRAP-AROUND PLATES AND BLANKETS Jan. 9, 1968 Filed Jan.

Jan. 9, 1968 H. 1. I UEHRS 3,362,327

CYLINDER LOOKUP FOR WRAP-AROUND PLATES AND BLANKETS MJQM Jan. 9, 1968 v H. J. Lul-:HRS 3,362,327

CYLINDER LOOKUP FOR WRAP-AROUND PLATES AND BLANKETS Filed Jan. 28, 1965 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HIV/VS f5/P5 BY ,V/c ATTORNEY Jan. 9, 1968 H. .1. LUEHRS 3,362,327

CYLINDER LOOKUP FOR WRAILAROUND PLATES AND BLANKETS Filed Jan. 28, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR United States Patent O 3,362,327 CYLINDER LOCKUP FOR WRAP-AROUND PLATES AND BLANKETS Hans J. Luehrs, Westerly, RJ., assignor to The Cottrell Company, Westerly, RJ., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 428,735 4 Claims. (Cl. 101 415.1)

This invention relates to improved and simplified means to lock aluminum offset plates and metal-backed offset blankets or shallow relieved wrap-around plates and metal-backed ink blankets (all designated as peripheral members) to cylinders of high-speed web printing presses.

Presently, lockup components to be accommodated in such cylinders require too much space within the latter, thus sacricing maximum rigidity and minimum center distance between bearings, both essential requirements for good printing at high speed, especially on presses, wherein the relation of printing diameter to the web width is one to five, or more.

The main object of the invention, therefore, is to provide, in a cylinder, compact and simple lockup means for thin metal or metal-backed plates or blankets, with a minimum space requirement to retain maximum cylinder rigidity across the entire length of the cylinder body and its journals.

Another object is to accommodate and locate the lockup actuating means outside of the cylinder bearers and to reduce the center distance between bearings to provide maximum rigidity in combination with minimum deflections under printing loads.

Another object is to provide in combination a fixed head clamp and a spring-tensioned tail clamp wherein the required combined clamping and tensioning forces are directed by means of a single set of springs against the entire width of the clamps, thus providing a self aligning uniform clamping and tensioning load across the entire cylinder.

Another object is to provide a single filling-in piece across the cylinder, which is bolted into the longitudinal gap of the cylinder as well as endwise through the bearers to partly regain the loss of sectional area and rigidity caused by this gap.

Another object is to provide independently operated sectional clamping means across the press wherein four (4) plates across, for example, can be accommodated with two plate clamps each, operated from either side of the press in a simple and space-saving arrangement.

Another object is to provide independent clamp release means which are entirely disengaged from the actual clamps so as not to interfere with the self-aligning takeup action of the latter while the press is in operation.

A further object is to provide a cylinder lockup of the character described wherein the above and other objects may effectively be attained as will appear from the following detailed specification.

Broadly, my invention comprises a clamping device comprising a cylinder, a longitudinal surface slot therein, and means carried in said slot for clamping a plate or blanket to the cylinder comprising a filler piece in said slot affixed to the cylinder, a movable clamp and means for moving the clamp into engagement with a plate or blanket edge, forcing it against the other plateor blanket edge and both it and the latter against a wall of said slot.

A practical embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. la represents a front view partly in section and partly broken away at one end showing the cylinder mounting and a plate mounted on the cylinder by a lockup constructed in accordance with my invention.

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FIG. 1b represents a continuation of FIG. la toward the centerline of the cylinder.

FIG, 2 represents an end View of the section of the embodiment shown in FIGS. la and lb taken on the line 2 2 of FIG. la looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 represents a section taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. la looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 represents a section taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1b looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 represents a partial section taken on the line 5 5 of FIG. lb looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the clamping mechanism open and FIG. 6 is a section partly broken away, taken on the line 5 5 of FIG. 1b showing the clamping mechanism in its closed position.

Referring to the drawings, a printing cylinder or plate cylinder is denoted by 1 and is provided with a longitudinal surface slot 2 which accommodates three major components of the structure according to my invention namely, the filling in piece 3, the plate clamps 4 and 5 and their actuating shafts 6 and 7.

Sets of springs, denoted generally by 9, are located in the slot 2 and force plugs 9a against the plate clamps 4, 5 and also urge the clamps 4, 5 toward the surface 8, said surface being an inclined surfacein the cylinder groove 2. The action of springs 9 with respect to clamps 4 and 5 produces two forces for clamping both ends of the printing plates 10 and 11 one against the other and both against the said inclined surface. During the printing operation, any stretch or thermal expansion of the said plates will be automatically compensated for on the tail end of the plate only by the forces of said springs 9 which tend to urge the plate clamps 4 and 5 against the plate ends and downwardly along the said slanted wall 8 of slot 2 in cylinder 1.

In order to mount any plate such as 10 or 11 on the cylinder 1, its leading edge must be inserted in the slot 2 and cylinder 1 is shown in FIG. 5 when the clamps are open. Subsequently, cylinder 1 is slowly rotated by any well known or approved means applied to the gear end of the cylinder so that the cylinder is rotated slowly in a clock-wise direction to wind the said plate or plates around it so that the tail end of the plate may be inserted into said slot 2. Normally detents 22 and 23 in collars 13, 14 when engaged by a spring-pressed ball will retain shafts 6 and 7 in their closed (or opened) clamping positions. Said shafts 6 or 7 may be turned counterclockwise direction by means of a lever 12 which may be inserted in holes of collars 13 and 14, on said shafts 6 and 7, respectively. The eccentric portions 15 and 16 of said shafts will then recede from the surfaces 17 and 18 of clamps 4 and 5 which will allow springs 9 to force the said clamps 4 and 5 from the unlocked position of FIG. 5 into a plate locking position as is shown on FIG. 6. Since said clamps are spring biased against the bead or the tail end of plates 10 and 11, automatic tension for stretch or thermal expansion of the said plates is provided.

In order to release plates 10, or 11, shafts 6 and 7 may be rotated in clockwise direction by means of a lever such as 12 inserted in holes of collars 13 or 14, on said shafts, respectively. The said eccentric portions 15 and 16 of the shafts will then engage the surfaces 17 and 18 of clamps 4 and 5 to force the latter into an open position as is shown on FIG. 5 where the clamps are open. To open said clamps 4 and 5, eccentrics 15 and 16 press against these clamps, moving them in a direction parallel to surface 8. However, with further motion in this direction contact of the lower projection of the clamps 4 and 5 is established with the undercut of the cylinder slot and the straight motion is transformed into a rotating one with the contact as a fulcrum, thus opening the clamps for the removal of the plate and/or 11. The plate may now be removed in the usual manner by unwinding the latter from the cylinder 1 which is slowly turned by the usual means in a counterclockwise direction.

It will be noted that shafts 6 and '7 are rotatably mounted in the half round milled portion 19 of the cylinder 1. Brackets 20 and 21 mounted on the said cylinder l, see FIGS. la and lb, normally serve to rotatively retain the shafts 6 and 7 in the position shown in FIG. 6 while the clamps 4 and 5 are in their closed position and also While said clamps are open.

Bolts at the ends of cylinder 1 serve to partly restore the strength lost by the relatively shallow milled out portion of said cylinder. However, the absence of any deep milled-out portions and highly stressed sections of the cylinder, or its journals, should be noted. Other bolts, such as 24a are used to hold the ller piece 3 to the cylinder 1.

It should be noted that the construction described above provides an improved cylinder lockup for Wraparound plates and blankets wherein the actuating means for the clamping and tensioning means are disengaged therefrom while the latter are in locking position thereby substantially eliminating the undesirable torsional deflection which may otherwise adversely alfect the clamping and tensioning means across the cylinder. Said plates and blankets are included in the term, unit, as used in the claims.

Since it is evident that various changes may be made in the construction, form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, I do not intend to be limited to the specific embodiment herein shown and described except as set forth in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a rotary printing press a clamping device for wrap-around plates or blankets comprising a rotary cylinder, at least one wrap-around peripheral member thereon, a longitudinal surface slot in said cylinder for receiving the ends of each wrap-around member, means including at least one plate clamp carried in said slot for releasably engaging one end of and tensioning each peripheral member to the cylinder and against the other end of said member, spring actuated means for contacting a clamp and urging same into tensioning engagement with said peripheral member, means operable from both cylinder` ends for actuating said engaging and tensioning means in straight and arcuate paths for releasably tensioning a member to the cylinder, said last named means comprising a channel in said cylinder slot, a clamp projection movable therein and into and out of contact with the cylinder adjacent to said slot, and clamp engaging means on said actuating means for urging the clamp against said spring actuating means to release said peripheral member from the cylinder.

2. In a rotary printing press a clamping device for wrap-around yprinting plates or blankets comprising a rotary cylinder, at least one Wrap-around peripheral member thereon, a longitudinal surface slot in said cylinder for receiving the ends of each wrap-around member, means including at least one plate clamp carried in said slot and releasably engaging a part of the peripheral member, said member ends being overlapped in said slot with one end thereof engageable with one side wall of said slot and the opposite end situated between the said one side wall and engageable with the clamp, spring means for biasing a clamp against member ends to tension same in a right line against a wall of the slot downwardly with respect to the periphery of the cylinder, means independent from any plate clamp and operable from each end of the cylinder for actuating said engaging and tensioning means in straight and arcuate paths with respect to said peripheral member and against said spring means to release said member from the cylinder ends including at least one turnable shaft, eccentric surfaces thereon engageable with a clamp, a cut out in said cylinder slot, a bottom clamp projection movable in said slot into pivotal engagement against a wall of said cut when a clamp is moved in a right line by engagement with an eccentric surface to swing the clamp away from the member ends to remove the member from the cylinder.

3. The combination according to claim 2 in which the means for retaining a clamp in engaged and disengaged positions comprise a collar lixed on each shaft, detents therein, and spring pressed members engageable with said detents when the clamp is in tensioning or released position according to the rotated position of the shafts and their collars for holding a shaft in the desired rotated position with respect to a clamp.

4. The combination according to claim 2 including cylinder bearers and a longitudinal filling-in piece and means for securing same in said slot through said bearers, said last named means comprising longitudinal bolts engaging said piece through said bearers and other bolts engaging said piece and cylinder body whereby the cylinder is strengthened in sectional area and rigidity.

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 525,087 8/1894 Schmitt lOl-415.1 X 873,398 12/1907 Wattles 51--368 967,079 8/1910 Stipe l0l--4l5-l X 2,243,195 5/1941 Crafts lOl-415.1 2,953,090 9/1960 Scott lOl-415.1 X 2,953,091 9/l960 Luehrs lOl-415.1 2,965,025v 12/1960 Mueller l0l--4l5.l 2,973,710 3/1961 Hantscho lOl-415.1 3,016,010 1/1962 Luehrs lOl-415.1 3,217,644 ll/l965 Schmidt lOl-415.1

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

I. R. FISHER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A ROTARY PRINTING PRESS A CLAMPING DEVICE FOR WRAP-AROUND PLATES OR BLANKETS COMPRISING A ROTARY CYLINDER, AT LEAST ONE WRAP-AROUND PERIPHERAL MEMBER THEREON, A LONGITUDINAL SURFACE SLOT IN SAID CYLINDER FOR RECEIVING THE ENDS OF EACH WRAP-AROUND MEMBER, MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PLATE CLAMP CARRIED IN SAID SLOT FOR RELEASABLY ENGAGING ONE END OF AND TENSIONING EACH PERIPHERAL MEMBER TO THE CYLINDER AND AGAINST THE OTHER END OF SAID MEMBER, SPRING ACTUATED MEANS FOR CONTACTING A CLAMP AND URGING SAME INTO TENSIONING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PERIPHERAL MEMBER, MEANS OPERABLE FROM BOTH CYLINDER ENDS FOR ACTUATING SAID ENGAGING AND TENSIONING MEANS IN STRAIGHT AND ARCUATE PATHS FOR RELEASABLY TENSIONING A MEMBER TO THE CYLINDER, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS COMPRISING A CHANNEL IN SAID CYLINDER SLOT, A CLAMP PROJECTION MOVABLE THEREIN AND INTO AND OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE CYLINDER ADJACENT TO SAID SLOT, AND CLAMP ENGAGING MEANS ON SAID ACTUATING MEANS FOR URGING THE CLAMP AGAINST SAID SPRING ACTUATING MEANS TO RELEASE SAID PERIPHERAL MEMBER FROM THE CYLINDER. 